Star Wars : The Clone Wars S01E01, S01E02

Star Wars : The Clone Wars, the movie received mixed reviews. Apparently it was never initially designed as a movie, but instead as several episodes. Watching the first two episodes of the series proper it's clear that the twenty minute short episodes are a much better format. For a start it means that the plots career along at top speed, with lots of action and fighting. In many ways this is similar to the original hand-drawn series, but just with CGI instead. The main difference appears to be the small amount extra time which allows something other than full on fighting. For example in both of the first episodes the Jedi Masters take pains to explain to their clone troopers that they are not expendable cannon fodder.

Presumably some kind of arc will materialise within the series, but the first two episodes could be watched in an order and are completely independent. One episode, Ambush, focuses on Yoda and his fighting abilities (he's very hard) and the other, Rising Malevolence, on a rescue mission by Anakin and Ahsoka.

What the CGI is extremely good at visualising are the spaceships. Greivous's massive flagship looks, well, massive and menacing. And the Republic gunships still roar past and look like fighting machines.

Adults may get annoyed at the Battle Droids, who talk to each other in (rather feeble) comedy sketches, but this is a programmer for kids, and I wouldn't like generalize and guess what they think.

Overall, I enjoyed them: bitesize, action filled chunks of Star Wars.

David Tennant Leaves Doctor Who

David Tennant is to leave Doctor Who after next years (2009) specials.

Here's David talking about it and here's the transcript.

The BBC site has more information

"When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won't be with me," he said."

Now don't make me cry," he added. "I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair.

"'I'll miss it'

It's up to Russell T Davies to write the regeneration story, and at the moment Tennant has no idea about it.

I watched a movie this week end

the movie was The Last Starfighter


Alex Rogan lives in a trailer court where his mother is manager and everyone is like a big extended family. He beats the Starfighter Video Game to the applause of everyone in the court and later that day finds he has been turned down for a student loan for college. Depressed, he meets Centauri, who introduces himself as a person from the company that made the Game, before Alex really knows what is going on he is on the ride of his life in a "car" flying thru space. Chosen to take the skills he showed on the video game into real combat to protect the galaxy from an invasion. Alex gets as far as the Starfighter base before he really realized that he was conscripted and requests to be taken back home. When he gets back home, he finds a Zan-Do-Zan (Alien Bounty Hunter) is stalking him. Unable to go home and live, Alex returns to the Starfighter base to find all the pilots have been killed and he is the galaxy's only chance to be saved from invasion. To defeat the invaders, who are paying the Bounty on him, He must be victorious

Tron movie sequel in the works

Good news for Tron fans. According to the Hollywood Reporter, commercial director Joseph Kosinski is in final negotiations to direct a sequel to the 1982 cult movie classic. Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, has signed on as a producer.

Kosinski, who last month signed on to the remake of “Logan’s Run” for Warner Brothers, will oversee the visual development of the project and have input on the script, which is being written by “Lost” scribes Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Story details are being kept secret.

In case you didn’t see the original film or have forgotten the plot (after all it’s 25 years-old now), Tron was about a computer programmer who gets sucked into a virtual world and forced to fight in his own video games. In 1982, the special effects used in Tron were groundbreaking. It was the first movie to use computer generated images (CGI) in conjunction with live action. Sources also say that visual effects personnel, for many of whom Tron was an inspiration to enter the business, are already are jockeying to work on the film.
Good news for Tron fans. According to the Hollywood Reporter, commercial director Joseph Kosinski is in final negotiations to direct a sequel to the 1982 cult movie classic. Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, has signed on as a producer.

Short Film: The Black Hole

Scifi Movie Project log 1 of 2 (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure)

Despite the success of such films as "Speed" and "The Matrix" trilogy, to a lot of people, Keanu Reeves will ALWAYS be Ted, the taller, darker half of the Bill & Ted duo. And it would seem that Ted, of all Reeves many characters, is possibly the only one where he really seemed to have put himself into the role and felt like a natural.One of the great dopey dude slacker classics, the title characters Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (the Keanu Reeves ) are a pair of aspiring musicians, the Wild Stallions, who are in danger of being both separated if Ted can't pull up a good enough grade (which = military school) and flunking history class in general. But since they are destined to be "the 2 Great Ones" who's music will unite the Earth and even alien races together in universal harmony, the most excellent dude Rufus (George Carlin) shows up and gives them a time traveling phone booth to help them pass their history class by bringing back real historical figures like Billy the Kid, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, Joan of Ark and what not. Now all they have to do is keep them from getting separated and jailed before they have to pass history! Along the way, Bill & Ted also fall in love with two sexy virgin princesses from the medieval circa.Yeah it's not great cinema, but it's a fun romp of slacker dude madness thanks to the energy and enthusiasm of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as the title characters.

Scifi Movie Project log 1 of 2 (BackTo The Future)

This film was great . The director and screen writer mixes science fiction, humor, and action perfectly. A big component of the script is time line theory which drives the story. Marty has many problems to fix, and finds out more than anyone wants to know about their parents. Michael J Fox and Christopher Loyd were excellently casted. Marty and Doc what a chemistry. With the film series one see the many dualities with time travel, that become a constant with the movie and the idea that you change something in the past it might dramatically change the future. The town clock, being awoke in a strange place, and letters. Keep this in mind when watching the 2 other sequels. The theory that time repeats itself is evident. What a time machine, the Delorian adds to this movie.

Inexpensive 'nanoglue' can bond nearly anything together

Troy, N.Y. -- Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to bond materials that don’t normally stick together. The team’s adhesive, which is based on self-assembling nanoscale chains, could impact everything from next-generation computer chip manufacturing to energy production.Less than a nanometer – or one billionth of a meter – thick, the nanoglue is inexpensive to make and can withstand temperatures far higher than what was previously envisioned. In fact, the adhesive’s molecular bonds strengthen when exposed to heat.The glue material is already commercially available, but the research team’s method of treating the glue to dramatically enhance its “stickiness” and heat resistance is completely new. The project, led by Rensselaer materials science and engineering professor Ganapathiraman Ramanath, is featured in the May 17 issue of the journal Nature.Like many key scientific discoveries, Ramanath and his team happened upon the novel, heat-hardened nanoglue by accident.

computer circuit that can build itself

A team of European physicists has developed a unique computer circuit that can build itself - a development that can lead to self-assembling computers.The Physicists have developed an integrated circuit that can build itself.

The work is an important step towards its ultimate goal - a self-assembling computer. The work appears in this week's Nature1.Currently, computer chips are made by etching patterns onto semiconducting wafers using a combination of light and photosensitive chemicals.In the new study, the scientists took a long organic molecule with mobile electrons, called quinquethiophene that acts like a semiconductor and attached it to a long carbon chain with a silicon group at the end, which acts as an anchor.

They later soaked the circuit board with preprinted electrodes into a solution of their new molecules.The experiment showed that the molecules got attached to an insulating layer between the electrodes, forming bridges from one electrode to the next."We dump it in a beaker with a solution of the molecules, we take it out, we wash it, and it works," Nature quoted Dago de Leeuw researcher at Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, as saying."The nicest example is DNA," he said.

"Our genetic code provides a set of instructions that can be used to marshal molecules into an entire person, and researchers would like to come up with a similar set of compounds able to organize each other into circuits," he added.De Leeuw said that the circuit is truly self-assembling."The different molecules are like little bricks," said Edsger Smits, another researcher at Philips."Frankly it worked much better than we expected," he added.Hagen Klauk, an electrical engineer at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany found the new technique impressive but said that it still needs improvements. He also said that the movement of electrons through the circuit would make for a very slow computer.

Klauk hopes that improving the characteristics of the molecules and tweaking the technique will eventually lead to self-assembling circuits that out-perform existing technologies, which use thick films of organic molecules."Self-assembly and nanotechnology is certainly cool, but the one thing missing is higher performance," he added.

What I think of 2001: A Space Odyssey

This movie is not just good, its amazing. Besides providing us with good performances, original plot, fantastic special effects, thoughtful messages and a lot more, it was an, until then, completely unseen world to the public. This is the first sci-fi movie that takes us out into the unknown space of our galaxy with such splendid effects and mind bursting reality that the audience is left without words. I am only 17 years old, and therefore I was raised into a world of modern effects and 3D animations in the movies. But nonetheless I was really, and I mean completely, blown away by the quality of these effects, even after almost 40 years. The visual effects was just one of the merits of this movie, the camera was in true Kubrick style amazing and enchanting. It feels like you are consumed by the screen and sucked into this surreal world (especially in the round control room or whatever you call it). The effects, the camera and the sheer size of this movie caught me of my guards. The meaning of this movie can also be interpreted as you wish yourself, even though I think there are some clear points concerning humanity (also true Kubrick style). How humanity on top of its evolution is just maintenance on board, and therefore not needed by the computer, one of humanities tools. How we in space appear like babies, learning to walk once more, losing control of our tools in zero-gravity, breathing through equipment as fish out of water. On the peak of evolution, we set out into the never-ending adventure as simple primates. Many might think that the length and slow pace of this movie is, boring? ridicules? or just a waste of time. But before you can jump to those conclusions, think about why Kubrick spends time with calm music and a spaceship in the middle of space for several minutes. This is to illustrate the beauty of it. Beauty, beauty is in many cases not granted the rightful respect by viewers. Kubrick wants to show us beauty, and if we do not succumb to it and relax, we can not enjoy this film as it was intended. This is not an ordinary movie, we can not just sit and watch as we can with some other movies, this requires time, thoughts and above all commitment and feelings to watch. All of this together, makes this one of the greatest achievements in the world of moving pictures.

HAL 9000 apple ad

What I think of HAL 9000

As the brain of the spaceship Discovery, HAL is a robot that uses the mechanical, sensing, and information systems under its control. HAL is an acronym standing for "Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer." "Heuristic" and "Algorithmic" are two primary processes of intelligence.

HAL is capable of speech recognition, natural language understanding, lip reading, and thinking well enough to beat humans at chess. Along with all these capabilities comes the capacity for malevolence. HAL kills its astronaut crew. The audience is left wondering whether HAL is right, wrong, evil, or mad. An astronaut decides to shut down HAL 9000's higher cognitive functions, an experience equivalent to death for HAL. HAL's central core is depicted as a room full of brightly lit computer modules mounted in arrays from which they can be inserted or removed. As the astronaut removes the modules, HAL's intelligence degrades.

HAL has had a lasting effect not only on fiction, but also on the real world. It has inspired astronauts, scientists and philosophers. Scientists ask how its capabilities can be duplicated and philosophers have asked whether HAL was responsible for the murders of the astronauts. All of us ask whether we want to create intelligent machines that may someday endanger us.

I think that Hal was one of the most important characters in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey because he shows us the next step in evolution. man is created , man makes tools , man makes weapons, man makes fire , man makes wheel, man goes to space, man makes new life. then the new life tries to kill man.

ARE WE MAKING COMPUTERS TOO SMART?

We have developed computers to make things easier for us, and how the computer age has taken jobs away from thousands, because employees couldn't keep up with the speed of automation. We have developed computers that can vacuum your floors, without too much assistance from humans. We even have a computer that can take care of small children, and help with certain types of hospital patients, called the robot nurse. Now we have computers that can think for themselves, and even reason things out.

They are using The Terminator Movies, and the Battlestar Galactica Movies, as the end result, wondering if this will be the end of humanity as we know it. These movies depict what has happened after humans have developed computers to think and to solve problems for themselves. These events lead up to a physical takeover of all mankind because we were inferior to the robots.
researchers believe, could soon lead to a more "general" AI, as flexible and self-aware as human intelligence, or to direct computer enhancement of the human brain.
Such superhuman intelligence could then improve on its own design, acting at the speed of computers, millions of times faster than our own brains. Biological evolution would no longer be the main storyline on Earth.

Not all Singularitarians agree with this scenario, including Bill Joy, founder of Sun Microsystems.

In his seminal Wired magazine article, "Why the future doesn't need us," Joy said the GNR technologies -- genetics, nanotechnology and robotics, the ones with the potential to self-replicate and mutate --pose a danger to the world because their development is widespread and government oversight is practically absent.

The prospect of a hybrid man/computer elite controlling enslaved masses is just one nightmare scenario put forward by Joy. Another is that intelligent systems would likely evolve an instinct for self-preservation, which could be bad news if humans are viewed as a threat.

Robot cars

The US Department of Defense announced on the July 30, 2002 a "Grand Challenge", for US-based teams to produce a vehicle that could autonomously navigate and reach a target in the desert of the south western USA.
In March 2004, the first competition was held, for a prize-money of $1 million. Not one of the 25 entrants completed the course. However, in the second competition held in October 2005 five different teams completed the 135-mile (217 km) course, and the Stanford University team won the $2 million prize.
November 3rd, 2007, the third competition was held and $3.5 million dollar in cash prizes, trophys and medals were awarded. Six driverless vehicles were able to complete the 55 miles of urban traffic in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge rally style race. 1st Place - Tartan Racing, Pittsburgh, PA; 2nd Place - Stanford Racing Team, Stanford, CA; 3rd Place - Victor Tango, Blacksburg, VA.

That’s cool, here’s self-driving BMW 330i. It is based on a military grade GPS system that can locate the car within few centimeters. This time driver can really take a rest in car like the passenger. Well, that’s a bit scary when it goes up to 140 kph.

LHC shuts down for 2 months over faulty wiring

The Large Hadron Collider is shut down for two months after an electrical glitch between two 30-ton magnets failed.

“What we know indicates there was a faulty connection between two cables joining two magnets together that warmed up to the point of melting and that resulted in helium being leaked into the tunnel,” said James Gillies, a spokesperson for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which operates the machine. (National Geo)
The problem delays the LHC for a full two months while the troubled section is warmed up, repaired and calmed down.

The thing that went wrong [at the LHC] is not such a big deal,” said Mike Harrison, a high-energy physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratories in Upton, New York.“The actual fix will be a day or two probably,” he said. “The problem is you have to warm it up and cool it down again. That’s what takes up time.”

All this pushes back the end of the world, which will occur when the LHC powers up sufficiently to generate stable black holes which will suck the earth inside out.

tech project (Plasma Window)

For my technology project I have started my research on the technology of my choice. The technology I chose to research was a new type of window. This new type of window is the plasma window. The plasma window is an ionized gas, or a gas with charged particles confined by electric and magnetic fields, that, under special conditions, separates atmospheric pressure from a vacuum. The plasma window, in which hot gas particles are trapped by electric and magnetic fields, prevents air from rushing into a vacuum chamber. At 12,000o Celsius (21,632oFarenheit), the plasma window is about 300 times as hot as the air at room temperature. This intense heat makes the ionized atoms and molecules move around faster and collide more often with air molecules, thus stopping most of them when they try to pass through the plasma window. Also, since the plasma window matches atmospheric pressure with only one-fortieth its density, less air pressure can escape from it into the vacuum, which is supposed to be devoid of pressure.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

Electron-beam welding is used for piecing together metal parts in airplanes, ships, scientific equipment and semiconductors. Since existing nonvacuum electron-beam welders have dispersed electron beams, they are not focused enough for high-quality welds or to reach crevices. In-vacuum welding overcomes this problem, but the vacuum system limits the size of the assemblies to be welded. The plasma window facilitates high-quality, nonvacuum electron-beam welding at production rates that are at least twice as fast as in-vacuum welding. At an hourly operating cost of $150 for an electron-beam welder, production-cost savings would be substantial.
The plasma window can also aid in the operation of electron-beam melting, a method frequently used to recover scrap metals from recycled materials. The new invention effectively increases operating pressure of the electron-beam furnace tenfold. High pressure in the furnace prevents the evaporation of valuable metal alloys.

young frankenstein

This week we started to watch Mel Brooks's young frankenstein. Over 30 years later this film still provides a ton of laughs to audiences.

It's always good to see the late Marty Feldman, whose face was hysterical and perfect for this film. In fact, he, along with the camera-work, really make this film one to enjoy watching. Teri Garr was at her best and never looked as pretty as did in here. Add in the great talents of Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Gene Hackman, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, etc., and you have a memorable movie with a lot of memorable scenes.

Looking at the Frankenstien "monster" in a tuxedo or sitting up in bed with a cigar reading The Wall Street Journal are just a few of the outlandish scenes, along Wilder entering the mansion commenting on the "nice knockers."

Kudos, also, for Mel Brooks having the good sense to film this in black-and- white. It may have been his best film, although "Blazing Saddles" would give it a run for its money. My only complaint was Wilder's constant yelling, which becomes abrasive and can give you a headache after awhile! Still, this has to be considered one of the best "comedy classics" ever.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

This week we have just finishes wathing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Steph Lady. in this virsion we have We have Victor Frankenstein, who is going to college to study science. He is a very ambitions man, and he wants to study what no school will dare teach: Bringing The Dead, Back To Life! So he meets a man who works at this college, who is curious about the same things that Victor is, but for some reason, he refuses to let Victor take it too far. Then, when this man dies, there is nobody to stop Victor from taking his experiments to the next level!

The 'creature', was played absolutely masterfully by Robert De Niro. Before Frankenstein, the only movies I had seen with him were Analyze This and Analyze That, and those were comedies, so it was difficult to see his skills as a serious actor, but in playing Frankenstein's creation he created a character that is confused, alone, hostile, manipulative and clever: a very conflicted anti-hero. The scene at the end at Victor Frankenstein's funeral left me in shock by the sheer aura he projects - mixed hatred with compassion and confusion. In my opinion, his best moment is when he meets the ship's captain who asks him 'Who are you?' and the creature nods to his dead creator and responds 'He never gave me a name.' If nobody felt the power in that line, then I don't know what to say to them. I think De Niro deserved an Oscar, or at least a nomination for this role.

atomic cafe

The first week of sckool we watched a movie called atomic cafe frome October 29 1982. The film uses unique techniques. It is like a collage that 'sacrifices the conventions of continuity editing and the sense of a very specific location in time and place that follows from it to explore associations and patterns that involve temporal rhythms and spatial juxtaposition' (Nichols, 102). It is all about editing raw material and splicing segments? of military training films, civil defense films, archive footage, interviews, newsreel material, and fifties music. Many sequences are edited to show the most ridiculous side of the duck-and-cover drills and how naive the Americans were at that time. To make it more derisive the film shows how the military training films were so amateurishly acted and misleading, such as the scene about the beauty of the H-bomb. I believe that the filmmakers have made their point in choosing all the footage for the film. Perhaps the intention is to challenge and deprive the intended message of the original footage.

jurassic park

After I finished reading jurassic park on 9/14/08 I was wathching Discovery channal and they were talking about a new discovery.
"Leonardo" was found in Montana almost fully intact. Ninety percent of his body is covered in skin. We know what he ate for his last meal. What makes this so impressive? Leonardo is a 77 million-year-old dinosaur. Discovery Channel reveals what is unquestionably one of the most unexpected and important dinosaur discoveries of all time in the one-hour high-definition special Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy, premiering Sunday, Sept. 14, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).